Best Golf Courses in Charminster, Dorset (2025)

Rating: 5 / 5

What a little gem of a golf course! We visited on a lovely day and I had a lesson with Charlie, who was an excellent teacher, and made me feel at ease. The course has a family atmosphere to it, not intimidating like other places. The little cafe has a beautiful setting and a nice selection of dishes. Shame you're an hour away from is, hopefully we can visit soon!

Rating: 5 / 5

Mike Dodd and all the junior coaches are fantastic. So welcoming and friendly. My son really enjoys going. They have a workbook with targets to aim for. It helps with focus and strives them to always move forward. It's a beautiful 9-hole course tucked away in Sturminster Marshall. It's definitely worth a visit for a coffee in the club house and chat with Mike.

Rating: 5 / 5

Tricky little golf course, plays 18, designed around a 9 hole. No par 5's but lots of par 4's (and long ones). T Boxes were difficult to get T pegs into the ground. Lovely and flat course. Such a pretty course to play. Very enjoyable. This was the first time in 20 years of my golfing experiences (and I have played many courses)...that I have ever seen steps into a bunker !! Luckily I didn't have to use them 🙃

Rating: 5 / 5

Friendly relaxed golf club and great for kids to learn.

Rating: 5 / 5

Fantastic course lovely greens.made putting so much easier on a true surface

Rating: 5 / 5

Such a lovely golf club, came here to practice our swing (not very experienced golfers). The range is beautiful and you can hit off real grass, a useful experience when you're a beginner. The putting/pitching course is amazing. Visited the gold shop to look around and the service was really friendly, didn't feel out of place. Wish I was good enough to go out on the green, must be amazing.

Rating: 5 / 5

A very friendly welcome from the pro shop on arrival with a good hearty breakfast in the clubhouse with a warm welcome. Weather conditions were overcast with a good downpour after 15 holes,but this did not stop us having a good days golf ⛳️. The course was heavy under foot from the previous day’s ☔️ rain but the fairways were nice to play off if played clean off the preferred lies, as for the greens they are very fast for November and very true. All in all a good away day worth a trip 👍

Rating: 5 / 5

We played a Dorset past captains match versus Hampshire past captains ⛳️ The course was in excellent condition very well manicured, the greens were very fast and true. The catering was also good and all the staff were very friendly. The club captain was in our first group out and he set a high standard with his course knowledge,well played Rob ⛳️ if you are in the area I would recommend a visit for a good challenging game and the bar is just the job on a hot day sitting on the patio 🏖️ or just pop in for a bit to eat and a drink🍹

Rating: 4 / 5

A lovely golf course, well worth the visit. This course is not the longest if courses, but is nonetheless quite challenging. Researching the layout before attending will help you. Really nice clubhouse and friendly staff. Also a well stocked little shop. A couple of driving nets to warm up, or if you want, a driving range to practice at. If the weather has been very wet, there will be standing water, although the drainage is very good, it can be overwhelmed. I will 100% play here again.

Rating: 5 / 5

Had a great day out at Bulbury today. The course is tight in places and very unforgiving if you stray off the fairway. It was in excellent condition. The staff made you feel very welcome and were very friendly.

Rating: 5 / 5

Friendly club, good catering, new menu, good selection of drinks, great golf and absolutely superb views - todays weather was beautiful, windy, wet, and cold at times, but the golf wasn't too bad. Loved ir

Rating: 4 / 5

Lovely course, nice wide fairways. Unfortunately the greens had just been vertidrained so putting was not easy. The views around the course are stunning.

Rating: 5 / 5

Even though the weather was against us , the wind was howling helping soak us we had a great day ! The course was in excellent condition. Some very difficult holes especially with the conditions I would definitely recommend having a round of golf here. The staff and members were very friendly and made us feel very welcome. Definitely will be back for another round soon, hopefully without the sad weather.

Rating: 5 / 5

Amongst the most beautiful views anywhere in the world, very rare for weather to close the course. Hares and deer a common feature. CLUBHOUSE OPENING AGAIN NEXT WEEK

Rating: 4 / 5

Lovely golf venue with 3 9 hole courses, all 3 are a good challenge and normally in really good condition. Pro shop is well stocked and the staff are friendly. The clubhouse is large and has ample seating inside and out, good range of beers and Cider, food is also spot on. Across the road they have a large trackman equipped driving range which is great for warming up before a round.

Rating: 5 / 5

Played today on their Christmas Golf Special, what a great deal!!! Staff are brilliant, very welcoming and helpful. Course in unbelievable condition after all the storms we have had. Thank you Dorset Golf & Country Club, look forward to returning soon.

Rating: 4 / 5

We stayed in a lodge which was spacious and well equipped. Just a short walk to the restaurant and facilities at the clubhouse. Indoor short mat bowls,and what looked like a good golf course although we didn't use it

Rating: 5 / 5

Absolutely stellar experience at this driving range! I've been a frequent visitor lately, and each time leaves me more impressed than the last. The Toptracer technology is great, enhancing the fun and improving my game with precise feedback. What's even better is the flexibility in payment—you pay per basket of balls, so there's no rush to finish. Also, during the week from 8am - 4pm there's no need to book, you only need turn up. Whether it's a post-lunch session or a pre-breakfast swing, this place accommodates perfectly. It has quickly become a top destination for me, and I'll definitely make it a point to swing by whenever I'm in the area. Highly recommend to all golf enthusiasts! Review for yet another breakfast here... I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a Full English Breakfast at The Forest Inn and wow—it was fantastic! As someone who loves a good fry-up, this one truly delivered and set me up perfectly for a great session on the driving range afterward. I went for the Full Dorset Breakfast, priced at £12, and it was worth every penny. It came with two New Forest bacon rashers, two butcher’s pork sausages, eggs cooked to perfection, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns, Heinz baked beans, and delicious Bakehouse24 sourdough toast. Every element of the dish was cooked beautifully and tasted fresh, from the savoury sausages to the perfectly crisp bacon. To top it all off, I had a lovely latte alongside the breakfast. It was smooth, rich, and complemented the meal perfectly—just what I needed to kickstart the day. The portion size was generous, and the quality of the ingredients really stood out. It was the perfect start to the day, filling me up with just the right amount of energy for my golf practice. I highly recommend The Forest Inn if you’re in the area, whether you’re a golfer or not. Their Full Dorset Breakfast is a must-try for anyone who appreciates a hearty and well-executed fry-up.

Rating: 5 / 5

I have played the course only twice and it is in great condition the course is very tricky at times but a good challenge. The pro shop is fully stocked with everything the golfer needs. Friendly staff and very helpful and welcoming. Thanks Harley. The food is excellent. Highly recommend ferdown forest for golf or to eat. Thank you to all the staff for all your good work. See you very soon Gary ☺️

Rating: 5 / 5

Not given the course a go yet but have to give a major shoutout to the pro shop and fitting studio they have on site, came in after a few uncertainties about my clubs. Within a few shots the pro Steve who had been monitoring me very quickly picked up the issues I had with my setup and as he brought up, nothing was wrong in the selection I had both head and shaft wise but all it required to get me striking it much more consistently was to set them up 1* flat which instantly made a change in the flight path of the ball and clearly wasn’t trying to push to replace them like many places I’ve been to have. Also gave much comforting guidance without the typical route some people reading the text book as any golfer is not going to swing or setup the same. All this service including the club adjustments came to a very respectful price, highly recommend them if you’re around this area looking to be fitted or simply after some good advice on your golf game or equipment.

Rating: 5 / 5

Played here 7/3/23 : always drove past this place and never had chance to play. I managed get finished early on a job, rang clubhouse and someone answered straight away. I was concerned the course may be closed due to the rain overnight and in the morning but was informed the course was open. I welcomed to pop down anytime as most people had stayed home because of the weather. I arrived and went in the clubhouse and was very impressed. Well stocked shelves, plenty of staff working so was served straight away I teed off at 13:30ish, the round cost me £13.50. I was informed the course was having maintenance carried out on it, which was great so I was fully aware. I have to say I was impressed with this course. It’s definitely not the longest, but there are plenty of tricky hazards to make you really think about your yardages. It’s a great course to improve your iron play if you hit it long enough. I was really impressed with the greens. Although they had been hollow tined (spiked) the greens rolled really well, we’re in great condition. The fairways were in good condition despite the time of year, I was given a good quality winter rules mat to play off. Usually even if it’s a high end club your given a strip of artificial grass which curls up and is difficult to play off. This was on a solid piece of plastic with ground spikes All the ground maintenance team were friendly and polite, they could see which greens I was approaching so worked that around which greens they did I would definitely recommend this course and I look forward to coming back in the summer to see how well it looks with all the works going on

Rating: 5 / 5

We hosted a charity event here, the service was excellent and the barbecue was brilliant. I would highly recommend hiding an event here.

Rating: 5 / 5

Not played golf here yet but the park is a fantastic place for a dog walk or just a walk or run. There are also cycle trails that pass through the woods. The cafe is now dog friendly in the balcony area...would be nice if there was a indoor dog friendly section for the colder/wetter times.

Rating: 4 / 5

Great old course that used to be a championship course back in the day before the Wessex way was built through some of it. You can still see it and has some great original holes. Yeah there’s dog walkers and the public but be patient and wait and you’ll play about 10 championship quality holes for the price of a council course (which it still is)… Wasn’t in bad nick either when I played today…Bunkers a bit scabby but I never went in any of them 😉🤣

Rating: 5 / 5

An amazing place to walk around or just to play golf, plenty of woodland to explore. The park looks amazing if you go in the early hours. If you time it right at the pond you'll see the local Heron.